Protein

From sea to land: Ukrainian seafood jerky firm Warm Seas turns focus to meat for Middle East expansion

21-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Ukrainian dried jerky snacks firm Warm Seas has transferred its focus from its traditional seafood jerky products to various meat products for its Middle East expansion strategy.

Shining amid adversity: CP Foods to tread carefully in 2023 but pledges food safety and sustainability progress

21-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand-based food giant CP Foods has committed to further improve its food safety and sustainability initiatives in 2023 on the back of a successful 2022 financial year, but also plans to proceed with more caution due to ongoing challenges spanning...

Making the most of it: How Ukrainian firm VTC has enjoyed Middle East success amid ongoing war

20-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Placing focus on staple food trade with regions such as the Middle East and Africa, as well as diversifying its ingredient supply, have been crucial steps for Ukrainian firm Vtc Trade to enjoy business success since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out.

Sustainability amid volatility: Nestle Malaysia pushes energy, packaging and plant-based progress despite economic uncertainty

20-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Nestle Malaysia has vowed to continue its progress in environmental and business sustainability areas such as renewable energy, recyclable packaging and plant-based product innovation even amidst current global economic instability.

‘The race is on’: Is Japan’s commitment to cultivated meat another sign Europe is lagging?

14-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

As another country, Japan, announces plans to develop a market for cellular foods, we ask stakeholders how Europe can remain competitive in the global race to develop cultivated meat.

‘Always a place for animal protein’: Conversion and demand for alternative sources unlikely to be the same in every region – expert panel

13-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Consumer demand for alternate proteins is unlikely to end up growing at a uniform rate due to local dietary differences, much of which will still prioritise animal protein in the long run, according to an expert panel.

Post-pandemic bounceback: Protein and snacks lead robust business growth for Agthia despite economic challenges

07-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Middle Eastern food and beverage giant Agthia has recovered strongly from the impacts of COVID-19 on the region, with its protein and snacking businesses both seeing over 70% growth in the past year despite ongoing economic challenges.

FNA FOOD AND BEVERAGE TRAILBLAZERS EPISODE 39

Tradition with a twist: How Philippines’ plant-based pioneers are infusing health and localisation to stand out

22-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Plant-based brands in South East Asia need to step up their game by integrating unique health and localisation features to stand out in the increasingly crowded market, according to a Philippines brand blazing a trail in the sector.

Beyond the ‘obsession’: Are alternative proteins truly the best path to a sustainable food supply?

20-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Creating a sustainable food supply to meet population demands will require more than just a focus on growing the alternative proteins sector despite its current hype, according to industry experts.

Thai Union Exclusive Part II: ‘No one will pay huge premiums for plant-based protein…yet’

14-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

The plant-based space is nowhere near hitting the premium space yet, with affordability fundamental in driving demand amid deepening consumer economic concerns, says Thai Union.

‘Gateway to Asia’: Future Food Asia 2023 seeks to attract international food firms to accelerate regional innovation

13-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Organisers of the Future Food Asia (FFA) Awards 2023 have revealed a whole new awards track targeting start-ups based outside APAC, hoping that this will bring more expertise and technologies into the region.

‘New logic’: Ajinomoto says localisation and innovation key to drive sustainability agenda

13-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Japan food heavyweight Ajinomoto has highlighted localisation and innovation as key pillars of its sustainability strategy in the firm’s most recent report, with its leaders pledging to take a ‘fundamentally different’ path from other MNCs.

Fortified future? China set for mass fortification of staple foods to combat deficiencies – consultation open

13-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

China is considering mandating mass nutritional fortification for various staple foods in order to boost public health and combat nutrient deficiencies.

Thai Union Exclusive Part I: Sensory experience key for plant-based seafood to match other alt-proteins

08-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Manufacturers of plant-based seafood need to ensure they get the sensory experience right if the sector hopes to reach the scope and consumer acceptance that other plant-based meat alternatives have achieved, according to Thai Union.

Year of the plant-based egg: Singapore’s OnlyEg taps food safety and nutrition drivers to expand reach

07-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Singapore plant-based egg firm OnlyEg believes that 2023 will be the year for the plant-based egg sector to shine in APAC given the technological advances that have been made, as well as the food safety and nutritional benefits.

Behind the 'world’s first 100% cultivated pork steak'

03-Feb-2023 By Oliver Morrison

UK scientists have made headlines after claiming to make the world’s first 100% cultivated pork steak.

Legislation development: South Korea launches public consultation on food standards for alternative protein products

01-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

South Korea has emerged as the latest Asian market looking at the development of food standards to govern the alternative protein products sector, proposing specific requirements to ensure food safety and quality management during manufacturing.

Protein and cognition: Increased intake in older age linked with reduced risk of impairment – China data

01-Feb-2023 By Si Ying Thian

Increasing protein intake appears to reduce the risk of cognitive impairment in older age, while an extreme decline in animal-based protein consumption is linked with a 48% increase, new data from a long-term China study suggests.

Keep it simple: Why minimal processing is key to winning over Asian plant-based consumers

31-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

Minimal processing and healthier formulation is key to achieving plant-based success in Asia, where health drivers trump sustainability concerns, according to a Thai brand that is blazing a trail in the category.

Nutrition, taste, texture: Singapore’s Nurasa seeks to drive innovation of ‘silver diet’ and alternative proteins

31-Jan-2023 By Tingmin Koe

Singapore firm Nurasa is seeking to drive innovation in alternative proteins and nutritional options available to the seniors on the back of an ageing population in Singapore.

Economic enormity: Format innovation key to getting APAC plant-based product costs down

30-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

Brands manufacturing plant-based products in the APAC region have highlighted format innovation as a crucial factor in bringing down costs to a level that can satisfy local consumer demands in the short-to-mid term.

Precision fermentation adds value to food supply chain, not competition – Perfect Day

24-Jan-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Perfect Day is teaming up with big players like Nestle and Unilever to broaden the applications of its whey protein, while leading new innovations through precision fermentation.

Traceability priority: CP Foods targets blockchain integration for all products after pork and chicken success

23-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand-based protein multinational CP Foods is targeting the full integration of blockchain technology for all products, after a successful introduction for pork and chicken.

Danone to cut methane by 30% by 2030 through regenerative farming, feed innovation

17-Jan-2023 By Teodora Lyubomirova

The French dairy giant has become the world’s first food company to make a methane-specific climate pledge - but questions remain around how this ambition could be realized.

Peanut plant-based innovation: China’s Haofood says versatility, affordability and clean label are major draws

17-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

China plant-based meat brand Haofood believes that the versatility and affordability of its peanut-based products, as well as its clean labels, are key to attracting domestic consumers to the category.

Food development focus: UAE government highlights strengthening of local food security as key 2023 goal

11-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has highlighted efforts to boost local food security as a key goal for the country to transform its food supply system in 2023, alongside the introduction of new taxation strategies to fund further innovation...

Plant-based challenges: Why ethics, environment and regulatory issues need to be addressed - new review

11-Jan-2023 By Gary Scattergood

The booming plant-based sector requires further scientific, technological and regulatory improvements in order to address consumer concerns and increase its commercial sustainability, say researchers in China and the US.

ASEAN food sector outlook 2023: Post-COVID-19 growth in Indonesia, Vietnam dampened by food security and inflation woes

11-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

Many South East Asian countries remain cautious and concerned over food insecurity and rising inflationary costs despite having seen stellar post-COVID-19 growth in multiple food categories.

‘Build an ecosystem’: Collaboration key to taking cultivated meat sector to next level – GOOD Meat

10-Jan-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Cultivated meat pioneers GOOD Meat believes a stronger ecosystem and more collaboration is needed to convince the wider industry and consumers of its transformative potential.

Returning to normality? China ramps up relaxation of COVID-19 food testing and tariffs

10-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

China is ramping up its efforts to move past the immense impacts COVID-19 has had on the country over the past three years, including removing all requirements for nucleic acid testing on frozen food imports and reducing tariffs.

Offering options: NZ’s Opo Bio looks to help cultivated meat firms outsource cell line stresses

09-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

New Zealand’s Opo Bio is seeking to help cultivated meat firms cut out a large portion of the initial legwork needed to procure and develop suitable cell lines, believing that this will take help encourage commercialisation and target the mainstream market.

Thailand’s Halal 4.0 journey: Tech and blockchain to play crucial role in ensuring product integrity

20-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

The halal food and beverage sector in Thailand is ramping up its use of technology as a crucial tool to achieve ‘Halal Integrity’, and hopes to establish a halal blockchain platform within the next few years.

Cultivated beef entry: Mosa Meat still pushing for Singapore regulatory approval despite manufacturing deal

19-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

Cultivated meat pioneer Mosa Meat says it is still working to get full regulatory approvals to retail its cultivated meat in Singapore, despite the signing of a manufacturing agreement with Esco Aster for production in the Asian trade hub.

Retort regulations: Australia tightens rules for imports containing meat, dairy and eggs

12-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

Australia has implemented more stringent regulations to govern imported retorted foods and beverages that contain meat, dairy or egg content, requiring an additional manufacturer’s declaration to be displayed prior to entry.

Plant-based proteins boost muscle mass in elderly Chinese population – new study

12-Dec-2022 By Hui Ling Dang

Plant-based protein consumption could contribute to better muscle health among the elderly population in China, although overall protein-intake recommendations are inadequate in counteracting muscle loss, say researchers.

Beneficial ‘side effect’: Long regulatory road for cultivated products will boost consumer confidence – Upside Foods

07-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

The cultivated products sector still has a long road ahead in many markets in terms of regulatory processes, but this thorough vetting will lay a strong foundation of food safety and quality that will eventually yield benefits in terms of consumer trust...

Calcium innovation: Junlebao’s new adult powder aims to improve bio-accessibility and bioavailability

05-Dec-2022 By Tingmin Koe

China dairy firm Junlebao has launched a new milk powder targeted at supporting calcium absorption in middle and old-aged consumers, and hopes to rejuvenate the well-established category by improving bio-accessibility and bioavailability.

FNA InnovATE VIDEO SERIES

‘Reduce and replace’: Plant-based brands can slash salt by following beverage sector’s sugar strategy - leading academic

29-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Plant-based brands need to slash salt levels by adopting a similar ‘reduce and replace’ strategy used by the sugar-sweetened beverage sector in order to ensure that consumers can reap health benefits of the trend, according to a nutrition expert.

‘Not a shiny new toy’: How ofi’s new Singapore site will lead to ‘holy grail’ localised innovation

22-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Localisation strategies are crucial in order to achieve the ‘holy grail’ of food innovation in the Asia Pacific region, by combining health, taste and convenience, according to Olam outfit ofi.

Vow founder: First wave of cultivated meat should delight and intrigue consumers, so why launch with chicken nuggets?

18-Nov-2022 By Elaine Watson

If you’re making cultivated meat in a bioreactor instead of a living, breathing animal, and you want to introduce it to consumers for the first time, what’s the best launch vehicle? A chicken nugget or fillet, a thin beef steak, a high-value item such...

Safety over shelf-life: Thai consumer concerns over long expiry dates driving demand for clean label ingredients

16-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Rising awareness amongst Thai consumers regarding the potential unhealthy connotations associated with long expiry dates is a key factor driving up the demand for clean label food ingredients in the country, according to leading industry experts.

Cultivated meat in the Middle East: Low consumer awareness, but huge interest once informed – GOOD Meat

16-Nov-2022 By Hui Ling Dang

Cultivated meat pioneers GOOD Meat says that consumer awareness of such products is still relatively low in the Middle East, but that there is significant interest to purchase once they have been exposed to the concept.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE TRAILBLAZERS EP 37

Cleaning up snack foods: Big brand interest in cleaner and healthier options paving path for leaf protein sector

16-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

The interest in cleaner and better-for-you snacks shown by big food and beverage brands, including Mondelez, Nestle and Vitasoy, is paving the way for a new specialised area of plant-based proteins to enter the market, namely the RuBisCo leaf protein.

Nuggets of truth: Increasingly demanding consumer tastes accelerating RTC and flavour innovations - Tyson

15-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Increasingly challenging consumer demands for products that can satisfy both taste and convenience needs are accelerating format and flavour innovation within the ready-to-cook (RTC) foods sector, according to Tyson’s APAC VP.

Nutrition: Plant-based drinks ‘not real alternatives’ to dairy milk – study

14-Nov-2022 By Teodora Lyubomirova

Nutrient quality in plant-based beverages should be considered on a par with sustainability credentials, researchers say as they assessed the quality as well as quantity of micronutrients in common plant-based drinks.

Alt protein long haul: Thai Union says food security more important than making a ‘quick buck’

14-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Seafood heavyweight Thai Union has called for more big brands dealing in protein to hop into the alternative protein sector – but stressed that the motivation for this needs to be more centered on food security than profit margins.

Converting consumer demands into technical concepts key challenge for APAC’s plant-based sector

09-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

The ability to accurately convert consumer demands and preferences into real, technical product concepts remains a key challenge for the plant-based sector in the APAC region, according to industry experts at Roquette.

FNA DEEP DIVE: CULTIVATED MEAT & FERMENTATION TECH

Novel protein production: APAC consumer acceptance soars but scalability still hinders affordability

09-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Novel protein production technologies such as cultivated meat and precision fermentation are seeing consumer acceptance soar in APAC, but are still some way off achieving price parity for the everyday consumer due to challenges with regulations and scale.

Animal-free dairy: New Culture attracts new funding; Change Foods eyes up Abu Dhabi for new plant: 'There is a massive commercial manufacturing capacity bottleneck in the industry'

04-Nov-2022 By Elaine Watson

Two US-based precision fermentation startups making real dairy ingredients using microbes instead of cows have announced significant developments as they gear up to launch next year in the emerging ‘animal-free dairy’ category.

Paradoxical pressures: APAC consumers demanding both food indulgence and cost-savings

03-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Both indulgence and affordability are emerging as major APAC consumer demands for food and beverages today, leaving a manufacturers with a paradoxical challenge that can only be solved using innovation.